therefore they're not going to go along--even if boehner wants them to go along. both sides the president and democrats on one side, boehner and the republicans are basically maneuvering for bargaining position for what is going to be a long-term negotiation. >> eliot: they're just shadow boxing, i think that's exactly right. i wonder and i'm trying to assess--i have no knowledge of what goes on inside the republican party but i'm trying to discern if boehner has more strength now than he did when this negotiation took place lose yearlastyear. does he have the political strength because his party lost, can he look eric cantor in the eye and other republican leaders in the eye and say we have no choice but to cut a deal that is now on the president's terms? >> i think the strongest bargaining level he has is not so much that the republicans lost the election but beginning january 1st tax rates do go up particularly on the wealthy automatically. that's when the bush tax cut is basically terminated. the president has that bargaining power. essentially in washington d